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Ramaphosa faces MPs over lifestyle audits, Dipuo Peters

President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing MPs in the National Assembly in a question and answer session about various issues, ranging from lifestyle audits for members of his executive, to his decision to suspend Deputy Minister of Small Business Development, Dipuo Peters.

In a statement, the Presidency said: “The president will reflect on questions ranging from the land reform programme in the agricultural sector, lifestyle audits with members of the executive and the Presidential Employment Stimulus, amongst some of the questions.

“The president’s appearance in the National Assembly will complete the Fourth Term Parliamentary Programme cycle.”

Lifestyle audits

On Thursday, 14 March 2024, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni announced that Cabinet had received a progress report on the lifestyle audits of senior members of government.

“At the end of January 2023, [a total of] 24 national and 71 provincial departments reported concluding lifestyle audits. With further interventions, the number of compliant departments increased at the end of March 2023 to 36 national government departments and 89 provincial departments,” she said.

These long-overdue lifestyle audits came approximately six years after Ramaphosa first promised their implementation. And during the 2024 State of the Nation Address, he said lifestyle audits for the public service were necessary to root out corruption.

Government officials are obliged to supply bank statements, intra-family financial transactions, credit card records and details about their vehicles and residences, reported Eyewitness News.

Peters temporarily booted from the executive

Ramaphosa suspended Peters from his executive on 1 March 2024. following a censure by Parliament’s ethics committee against the deputy minister.

“The committee found that Ms Peters had breached the Code of Ethical Conduct in her former portfolio as minister of transport. Consequently, Ms Peters was sanctioned and suspended for one term.

“The suspension, which will be without pay, became effective on 28 February 2024 and will end on 28 March 2024,” the Presidency said in a statement.

During her time as minister of transport, according to Parliament, these were some of her infractions:

  • Peters neglected her duties by failing to appoint a Group CEO of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa)
  • Peters dismissed the rail agency’s board, seemingly because it had uncovered R14 billion in irregular expenditure and instituted investigations into corruption
  • She used Prasa busses for ANC events during 2014 and 2015 without ensuring payment from the ANC

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